Retribution
by lil'chrome-chan
Summary: Claudia had forgotten along the way that she was no God and that she didn't get to decide who lives and who dies. It took her brother's sword to finally open her eyes to the reality of what she had become; and that retribution doesn't work the way she believed it did. (Written before S3)
1. Prologue

**Hey, guys, I've been busy on AO3 ever since I finally got an invitation to create an account! This fic is the first new fic I posted there months ago. Now that it's completed, I feel like sharing it here as well. **

**I have developed this AU since shortly after finishing S2 of TDP in April, but only started introducing it to the world in October close to the S3 airing date because it's a future narrative and I knew S3 would have a lot of new facts that would contradict my AU. This AU is heavily inspired by the fanfic, "deer" by Prim_The_Amazing on AO3. Do give it a read if possible because it's an amazing fic!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE DRAGON PRINCE OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS!**

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Soren was five when he knew he'd be a knight one day and then for the rest of his life.

The thrill he felt the moment he carried his first sword was only fuel to the fire that was his ambition. For as long as he could stand straight and his arms could hold the sword, he'd be a knight.

His family was supportive despite his Father's mild disdain that his eldest had no compatibility with the subject of his own passion. His sister Claudia was his biggest supporter; being the loudest when it came to cheering for him. He was hers, too. At least until magic made him feel yucky.

He couldn't explain why, but there's always something in him that said it's wrong; that no such shortcut could exist without payment. Claudia would always talk him into believing that magic was good. Magic could do anything and the price was practice. The more you practice, the less toll it took, she said. Soren's brain didn't have the ability to even reason with her, but the small voice inside that said it's wrong never subsided. Nevertheless, he never sincerely denied her way of life; only letting some cynical comments slip every now and then. And he couldn't deny that some of the reason may lie on the fact that Claudia's affinity with magic earned her a better place in their Father's heart.

They'd do their own thing; him as a cadet and her as a practitioner under their Father. They were some of the youngest in their field of choice and were highly respected for that, earning the prodigy title. Such title came with pressure and expectations that both of them were burdened with but also proud to have. The future only had one path for them both, and they were happy to fill that road with everything they could.

Soren was eighteen when his spine broke, effectively turning his entire future prospect to dust. He could no longer walk nor hold a sword. Pressure and expectations left him like steam and he couldn't even reach to keep them. He was crushed but his sister even more so. For her, he tried to be strong. He thought of a way, anything to make her laugh and erase that sad, confused look from her face like it was her future that dissipated beyond salvation. He made her a poem, but she didn't like it. She went high and beyond to fix him. The explosion of lights and flashy electrocution followed by a sudden white streak in Claudia's hair meant magic again. And although he still couldn't fully accept magic, his recovery was something he would forever be thankful of.

What he didn't know of was that it was only the beginning of a story so much grimmer. Because there was _always _a price to pay; such is the law of retribution.

**Retribution**

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**Chapter 0**

_**Prologue**_

Soren stopped in front of the cell, keys in hand, down in the deepest corner of the dungeon where the worst of criminals were kept until their trial. Most of them traitors to the crown. Some of them heartless monsters who took the lives of many. Two months ago had been his last visit, which ended ugly but he was soon allowed to come down here again after good behavior.

He consciously snapped his back upright and attempted to even his breathing. To be completely frank, he'd bet the person inside the cell could already tell who he was and that he was there. From the other side of the door, Soren could hear the thrilled footsteps before a head popped up into view in the tiny gap on the steel door.

"Soren!" his sister called, excitable as always. Full black eyes, no longer green, and full white hair, no longer dark as night. Cracked skin and visible blue veins underneath, but still his beautiful baby sister. "It's been so long!" she beamed.

"Yeah," Soren said, chuckling awkwardly and showing a goofy grin although he knew Claudia couldn't see it. "It sure has! You must've missed me _terribly_!"

"Why not?" she answered, shrugging and refusing to be direct. "Hand," she then commanded, "Give me your hand."

Soren obeyed and brought his hand between the bars. His _muscular_ hand could only go so far in, but that was enough. It's always been enough. Soon, he could feel Claudia's calloused hands held his as she snuggled it with her cheek.

"Soren, you're burning up!" she claimed.

He wasn't. She was ice cold, though.

"Yeah? Must be the weather," he dismissed, then rattled the keys to let her know his intention. "Let's get you outta here, sis."

Soren's statement immediately earned Claudia's genuine shock and doubt as she let go of his hand and proceeded to stare at him. "Me? Out? Are you sure?"

"Hey, I know your eyesight's getting bad but you can hear this, right?" he asked, rattling the keys again, this time getting them closer to the cell. "Yeah, I'm getting you outta that ugly cage."

From what little Soren could see from the gap, Claudia looked thoughtful. It had been four years since she was instituted but not once had she ever asked to be freed upon knowing she would be kept here for an indefinite time. Every time Soren visited, she would only ask for his hand as it was the only part of him that could go through. That small human touch was enough to keep her somewhat sane for a long time. And, perhaps, the knowledge that her magic still worked well on him all these years was the only thing that ever mattered to her anymore.

"I don't know, I kind of like my," she made quotation marks with her fingers, "_cage_, as you call it."

From just a little of what Soren could see from outside, the cell was fully made of stone to ensure its prisoner to never see the light of day. There was nearly nothing inside to keep anyone occupied and away from their loud mind, but also nothing to harm themselves. On top of that, it was a cramped space that was barely even cleaned; an unsettling comparison to the luxury life him and his sister had been showered with since birth due to their Father's honorable position in the kingdom.

"You're kidding, right? You'd miss a chance to get all of this?" He tried to sound as cheerful and unbothered as possible as he gestured to himself. And despite not being able to see him, his sister snorted. "Not just the hand. Eh? Eh?" he tempted.

Claudia played along, pretending to think. "Hmmm, does that mean I get to, say, do the noogies, too?"

"A package deal."

"And get hugs?"

"Sor-bear hugs."

"Tempting."

"Dang it!" Soren faked devastation. "Alright, hear me out: Three hugs and a cup of hot brown morning potion."

"You don't even know how to make it," Claudia giggled, reminding him of when she was a toddler barely learning to walk. She would run into furniture and fall. Everyone in the house would rush to her rescue. But she'd get up again with a giggle. She'd always been a tough baby. "Well, I guess I _have_ to make it for us."

"Thanks, I kinda had no idea how to keep my word. Getting you out now," Soren said, inserting the key without waiting for his sister's reply. He couldn't waste any more time.

"Oh," was Claudia's first word when she stepped out of her cell after years. "This feels weird." She chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck and producing crusts from the friction. Then she looked around as if expecting there to be more people.

That was also the very first time Soren had gotten a good, full look of his sister ever since she was imprisoned. How much she had _grown. _She was considerably taller since the last time he saw her in full person. She had always been on the taller side but so was their entire family, honestly. She was wearing a long, white gown with sleeves that only covered half of her arm length, exposing veiny skin everywhere he looked; some parts had dried blood on them that she probably couldn't see. Her face was the worst; although accented now compared to before, it looked parched and fragile to the touch that he had to seal the urge to touch it in fear of hurting her. Her eyes were pure black and she had told him that her vision was deteriorating rapidly it felt like she was looking through a heavily-tinted glass. Her hair was pure white with scarce streaks of black; just what's left of her before she was completely gone.

Fighting the urge to cry at her appearance, Soren sniffled then opened his arms and nodded at her, offering to fulfill his promise of three hugs. But Claudia shook her head. "Uh-uh," she said, "I'll decide when to claim the hugs."

Soren raised a brow but decided not to ask questions, letting his arms fall on his sides again. "Oh, okay, sure." Then he wordlessly held her hand to guide her through the hall and she followed obediently.

"Thanks, Soren," she said, smiling up at him like a four-year-old. He didn't know what for, specifically.

"Hey, don't mention it," he said, trying to smile.

"Mm-hmm," she hummed as she faced forward again, almost skipping with her barefooted steps. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Home," he said, ignoring the looks from the prisoners left and right peering out into the hallway as he walked past them.

His sister didn't deserve to be kept among these monsters.


	2. Day 1

**Check out my IG acc /yukiruffle for some fanarts of this AU ;) Prepare for lots of feels in this chapter~**

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**But firstly, let me reply these nice comments I get:**

**\- _SenpaiBuckwheat: _You are very welcome! Glad I decided to post this story here too XD MageFam is my religion 3**

**\- _AngentianPrincess18: _Hopefully, this chapter will explain to you what happened to Claudia before all of this. I can't guarantee her being fine, though...**

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**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE DRAGON PRINCE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!**

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Soren remembered the first time he had hot brown morning potion the dawn of King Harrow's funeral.

He remembered being exhausted from being up all night guarding the royal chamber, tensed and on alert, then spent the rest of it fighting off elves and nearly getting killed. Claudia had offered him the warm goodness and it instantly made him forget about his fatigue. She looked so proud when he told her how much he liked it. He jokingly told her she should open a shop selling it one day if magic didn't work out well for her.

"Maybe I should," she'd said then, jokingly. "Hey and, if knighting doesn't work out for you, you could be there entertaining my customers. With a poem, maybe. You suck so bad at them it's hilarious. They'll _love_ you!"

Weird that now he actually thought he wanted that. Now that he was watching his sister's back as she brewed the potion for them, humming something she made up, he could imagine her in a shop of her own, just enjoying life. Wouldn't that be something?

"There you go, sir," Claudia said jokingly, smiling as she slid the cup towards him. "I haven't made it for a long time now, I hope I didn't mess it up."

He took the cup. "Hey, no one else but _you_ can make this thing. You can't_ mess it up_."

She chuckled, bringing the cup to her mouth. "Thanks."

They sat in silence for a moment, both just appreciating the delicacy of the beverage; something a brash man like Soren was usually not really good at. There was something hanging in the air between them just waiting to be addressed, the problem was they both wished it was the other who did.

Soren observed as Claudia tried her best to keep her long bangs out of the way but always missed some strands. Either she was nervous or her hair was honestly just really troubling her. It _was _very long, after all, almost reaching her ankle when she stood. In the end, she twisted her hair and threw it behind her hoping it would hold but it immediately un-twisted and fell again. She huffed.

"Hey, Clauds?" Claudia shot her head up at him, anticipating. "Let's get your hair cut, okay?"

It most definitely wasn't what she wanted to hear, but a smile made its way to her face anyway.

"Sure."

**Retribution**

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**Chapter 1**

_**Day 1**_

It was a slow and quiet day so Soren brought Claudia to the courtyard to let her get a breath of fresh air. She'd washed herself (he helped a bit because she was handicapped) and changed into new clothes; they'd tried to find her old dress but it wouldn't fit anymore so she's wearing a makeshift attire made out of Soren's old tunic held together with a belt and a pair of pants. Thank goodness she could still slip into her old boots because Soren's were much too big and smelled otherworldly. Her white hair was also cut into her old length for easier mobility.

Soren could see the judging stares from what couple of people who were there and was never so thankful of Claudia's impaired vision. His sister had innocently greeted everyone she recognized and while they weren't openly hostile to her, they were nowhere near friendly.

At some point, Claudia had asked him if she could visit the library by herself. He was never a fan of the place and he didn't see a problem of letting her read some books so he let her go.

It was soon after Claudia left that he saw a familiar figure approach. He immediately clicked his tongue.

"Soren, we need to talk."

The young advisor was wearing his royal uniform but did not get rid of that ugly scarf he treasured so much. Beside him was his assigned guard slash best friend, Rayla the Moonshadow elf, whose one horn had been cut in half. Soren didn't want to recall how that happened.

While Callum's attention was fully on Soren, Rayla had her attention on Claudia who was visible from second level of the west building, scaring a servant when she waved at them. Soren figured his sister's current appearance could use a little getting used to, but the servant's reaction was too much. He unconsciously tapped his foot in annoyance.

"Yeah?" Soren asked sourly when Callum stopped in front of him. He might serve the King now, but he still did not fully lose his hostility towards the King's brother for what he did to his sister.

"So, uhm, where do I begin?" Callum brought his hands together and pressed them against his lips as he looked thoughtful. Then followed by an awkward, nervous chuckle. "Hmm, this is going to sound unpleasant but," the young advisor took a deep breath. "You see, about—"

"Ugh, quit beating around the bush!" beside him, Rayla snapped. "What Callum is trying to say is, why are you letting Claudia roam about freely with little to no supervision? Everyone in the castle is on edge," she finished then crossed her arms and turned to Callum, who looked baffled. "That's how confrontation is done, you're welcome."

Callum raised his index finger to make a point but decided to keep it to himself. Then he returned his attention to Soren, "What Rayla said."

The elf rolled her eyes.

On the other end, Soren had the look that was a mix between disbelief, confusion and ire. "Anything wrong with giving my sister basic human rights?"

The way Soren phrased his question gave Callum a pang of guilt, but this time, the young advisor didn't let his elven friend step up again. "It's not wrong. But she needs to at least be supervised given her… condition. I'm sorry for phrasing it this way."

Despite Callum's apology, Soren took offense. "What _condition_?" he asked loudly. "You heard what the doctor said!"

"Royal physician," Callum reluctantly corrected.

Soren crossed his arms and scoffed. "Whatever, same thing. You heard what he said; Claudia is… ugh, I forgot the term but thing is, he declared that she's fine now," he reasoned. "She's fine. She won't harm anything or _anyone_. She can't even do magic anymore!"

Callum sighed. "I heard him loud and clear, Soren. And I know Claudia is harmless without magic."

Soren looked skeptical, still. "So you're saying you don't trust _me_," he tried.

"I _would_ trust you if not for the whole prison break fiasco two months ago that we had to ban you from visiting her for a while," Callum said half-jokingly to lighten the mood but when Soren didn't share his humor, he quickly returned to the comfort of seriousness with a cough. "Look, you've vowed to protect the King, _my brother_," he emphasized, "and I believe you. But at the same time, I know how it feels to be a brother. I'm not in your shoes but even _I_ do feel some sort of…sympathy towards Claudia, my old friend, that I want to help her. I know it's even stronger for you. She's your sister."

"Well, you're wrong." How dare he assume what Soren felt? "I can do this. I'm not some immature brat who doesn't understand the weight of his duty, alright? _My_ sister doesn't just get a free pass to everything."

Callum scowled sadly. "Soren…"

"Don't look at me like that, step-Prince, no, _royal advisor_," the blond hissed before turning to the person beside Callum. "And tell your guard elf not to look at me like she's ready to draw her blade when I turn my back. Or I might have to draw mine first." He touched the tip of his sword.

"Soren, please." Callum tried brought his hands up then turned to his guard. "And Rayla, you too, please."

Soren balled his fist.

Rayla clicked her tongue and brought her hands together. "Fine." Then her attention was back to where Claudia was a moment ago. "As a proof of my _trust _to you, Soren, I'll leave you alone with the royal advisor. As I believe you won't harm him. Besides, you don't need me here especially when all I do is double your hostility," she stated boldly, making Callum nervous and Soren looking like he agreed. She turned around—to the direction of where Claudia was, Soren noticed—then patted Callum a couple of times on the shoulder before disappearing.

"Uhh, so I guess we should talk?" Callum suggested, smiling nervously. Soren groaned and walked away; the young advisor scrambling to follow.

* * *

Claudia had always loved the library. Not only because of the hunger for new knowledge she could learn from every new book she borrowed, it was also a special place for her and her Father. They'd spend hours and hours in the library, quietly reading together and showing each other their discovery. If she ever had questions, her Father would patiently give her the answers. What she loved most was the look on his face whenever he gave her answers; so accomplished and proud. And when _she _gave _him _answer to his question? God, even better.

Today, Claudia scared the living daylight out of the librarian lady when she stepped in. She thought it's kind of rude that outer appearance could change people's attitude towards someone to that extent. The lady used to like her.

Eh, not like it mattered much.

Claudia roamed about the place, trying to find relevant books but having a hard time looking at anything that's farther than her arm's length. She had to squint and basically shove her face into the spines to read the titles clearly.

Somewhere behind her, someone cleared their throat. Claudia turned around to see make out a horned person after squinting, with the librarian lady cowering behind them.

"Don't worry, she's harmless," she heard Rayla whisper to the scared lady. Her hearing had been very sharp ever since she lost 70% of her vision. "And she has permission to be out today. You can go back to work peacefully now." The librarian nodded appreciatively and returned to her station.

"Hi, Rayla," Claudia greeted and waved cheerfully.

"Claudia," Rayla responded curtly.

"So," Claudia said as she turned her back to the girl and continued browsing for books. "Are you here to supervise me?"

Rayla followed her along, just ten steps behind. "No. Your brother _convinced _us that you need nothing of the sort."

"With words? How rare."

Amused, Rayla decided to play along. "There were plenty of words involved. Swords were held but not drawn. A progress, I guess."

Claudia snorted at the elf's sassy retort then shrugged casually. "But eh, that's not true. I could use some help around here that's not him."

It was Rayla's turn to snort. "Yeah, try telling him that."

Claudia chuckled gingerly, then stopped in front of a rack, seemingly have found the section she'd been looking for. Rayla noticed that the former dark mage was looking for books that covered dark magic and questioned herself if it was alarming or if the royal physician approved.

"What a time to be alive, huh?" Rayla slightly flinched when Claudia started talking after a moment of silence. She was already carrying a couple of books to the nearest table. "Now, people seek protection from you, an elf, and are scared of _me_. Didn't expect Katolis could fundamentally change so much in just a few years."

Rayla casually followed and commented, "If you ask me, their fear is justified."

Claudia snickered again. She liked how bold Rayla was; not even trying to be considerate with Claudia's feelings. It was a breath of fresh air that somebody still treated her the exact same way as before she was imprisoned. Soren had been tiptoeing around her since he whisked her out of her cell; not getting pissed at all about things she did that used to piss him off, and being extra nice. Not to mention the constant constipated look on his face that he wore whenever he's keeping a bad secret. What a bad, bad liar, she thought; just like their Mother. She knew he was hiding something and she'd always enjoyed the flustered, dumbfounded look on his face whenever she successfully guessed his secret, but she'd spare him this time.

"How's Callum?" she asked again when she opened a book, trying to look like she cared less than she really did.

"Juggling between actual work and still being a teenager. Tired but fine, I guess? Oh, and he does magic for stress relief when the adults wouldn't stop breathing down his neck."

Claudia's hand that was scanning the pages stopped, then she looked up to Rayla again. "That's…good. Primal magic, I assume? I'm happy to hear that." She ended with a genuine smile, but the said smile then dissipated when she squinted at Rayla.

"What?" Rayla asked, wary.

"Your… horn," Claudia pointed out, just noticing. She immediately looked guilty. Rayla's conscience was starting to shake. All she wanted was to be sure that Claudia was not to be trusted but it seemed nothing was harder a task. "I'm sorry about what I did. I really mean it."

"Oh," Rayla mumbled, trying not to let it get to her. "Uh, well, it's terrible, what you did. But it's been, what, four years now? Nobody really cares that one of my horns is shorter than the other." She shrugged.

Claudia shook her head apologetically. "Still, you must've been scared."

"Scared? Of you?" Rayla snorted. "Moonshadow elves don't get _scared. _Furious, is the word. Luckily, I've always been the least trusting of you so the betrayal didn't come as much of a surprise."

At that, Claudia blinked before she burst out laughing. She was sure the librarian was annoyed and wanted nothing but to kick her out already but she could pretend she didn't know. Rayla was slightly laughing along with her and that's enough.

"Are you doing anything?" she asked after her laughter subsided. "I could use some company if you weren't here to, you know, _supervise_."

"Well, I'm paid to guard the royal advisor but he doesn't need me at the moment."

"Perfect! Can you help me look for something in these books?" Claudia gestured to the tower of books she'd handpicked earlier.

"Yeah, no, I don't really enjoy reading. It's Callum's thing." Rayla politely declined but when Claudia only smiled knowingly at her, the elf sighed. "_But_ this is a library and I could pretend I do." She dragged a chair and place it on the opposite side of the table then sat on it. "What are you looking for?" she asked, pulling some of the books to her side.

Claudia grinned wider as she leafed through the pages of her ginormous book. "Oh, I just want to know if this particular applied magic will lose effect if the caster perished."

* * *

If one earns a gold coin every second they don't speak, Callum and Soren would've been rich by now.

Callum was never particularly talkative if it didn't involve his hobby; that's what introverts do. Speaking to Rayla wasn't hard; her sassy yet good-natured comebacks actually made him feel less nervous. Speaking to Ezran was always never hard unless they were fighting and not speaking to each other; that's what siblings do.

"So, how are you doing so far?" Callum was the first one to speak.

Speaking to Soren? Well, they always had Claudia in the mix and the girl was a social butterfly who never seem to run out of topics. She easily made people forget they're introverts.

"Fine." Soren didn't care to mask the coldness of his tone.

"Okay." Callum was patient.

Come to think of it, what kind of person _is _Soren without Claudia? The two was always inseparable they're basically conjoint. Their dynamic was so merged together that it was hard to imagine one without the other. Even when they were apart, they talk about the other all the time. Now, just mentioning his sister's name is taboo to Soren. Callum never really thought about it but now that he did, it saddened him.

It was probably the only thing that could earn a reaction from Soren. It was worth a try. "How's Claudia?"

The Crownguard flinched, most likely not seeing the straightforwardness coming.

_Why don't you go see her yourself if you're so curious? _Was what Soren wanted to say but he still had a bit of self-restraint. "Nothing's changed since the last time you saw her. When you dragged her to jail, I mean."

Soren peered over his shoulder for Callum's reaction and was satisfied when the younger boy growing pale from the direct attack. "Alright. Soren, I know you have some… unresolved grudge against me." Think like Rayla. Think like Rayla. Confrontation wasn't that hard. "Why don't we talk it out before, you know, tomorrow."

"Nope, I've got nothing to say to you."

"I think you do."

"Uh, I think I don't." Soren challenged, throwing his face away. But he turned back to Callum again soon. "You know what, if you're going to be pestering me non-stop about it then maybe I'll give you a piece of my mind."

Callum's face was a combination of awkward smile and ready-to-be-punched. "Please."

"Alright, firstly, why are you stalking me like some creep? You don't trust me with this, do you? In fact, the whole castle don't. They're all just on edge and waiting for the moment I suddenly change my mind and _whoosh _run away with my sister. You think I can't see the looks people give me in the streets knowing what Claudia's done to their family members and probably knowing what she did it for. My fellow guards are _on guard _whenever I'm around. They think I'm an accomplice, don't they? I haven't felt any sort of _trust_ from anyone but the King and my sister for four years now and I feel like crap." He chuckled darkly. "Guess who's armed and waiting for me two months ago when I pretended to go on a quest to release my sister for shits and giggles; my whole troop! Well, joke's on me, because they all looked like they've been waiting for this to happen! Hilarious, right? Nobody trusts me!"

It was intense. As if he'd been holding back all of this for four years.

"Soren, I'm sorry." Callum truly was.

"Nah, I'm just being a jerk, aren't I? I think I'm just angry and sad. It's just… she's my sister and…"

"I know."

"And she really is, now, even more than before. She's the Claudia I know again after so long." A pause. "But… but it's ending, isn't it?"

Callum slumped. "I'm really, really sorry. It has to be done, you know that. The whole kingdom has it out for her and she has to pay for what she's done to many people. Even if it's not us who do it, a plethora of people out there are ready to take the job. And they wouldn't be as nice about it. She wouldn't be safe anywhere in the kingdom. I know it sounds cold but think of it as a chance for you to prove your loyalty to the crown again. Once you get through with it, you'll earn everyone's trust back."

He couldn't understand politics but he could see Callum's point. It was why he volunteered to take the job in the first place. That, and his unwillingness to see someone else did it to _his _sister.

At his silence, Callum grew anxious. "Are you sure you can do it? If it's too hard, I can look for a replacement if we begin searching now."

As if he would let anyone else take the job. Nobody but him was allowed to do it. "No. I _can _do it. I'll do it. I won't let anyone else do it."

Callum looked at him to reaffirm the truth behind his words. But Soren was never the tricky sibling and he wasn't hard to read. "Alright. Then, I trust you to do it."

* * *

Callum sat on the edge of his bed, overlooking the open doors that led to the balcony. As tomorrow drew near, his thoughts wondered to the past. Of days where Soren would be dragging him through the mud during swordfighting lessons and Claudia would be there ready to defend him if Soren went too far. Of days where he'd run into her in the hallway or in the library then listen to her talk nonstop about the new spell she'd mastered because Soren wouldn't give her his time of the day. Of days where trusting was much easier. Days when trusting _her _wouldn't result in a traumatizing level of regret. Not a day had he stopped questioning if it would end the same if he'd made different choices then.

He sighed.

"Why so sullen?" someone behind him asked. He didn't even hear the door open. As expected of his ex-assassin friend. "Saddened by the fact that I'm _still _taller than you?"

"I'm telling you it's the horns!" he snapped, turning around to face her. "My head is half an inch taller than yours now, okay?"

"Wow, so intimidating." Rayla did half-hearted jazz hands and rolled her eyes. Then she approached him and leaned against the bed frame, crossing her arms. "So, what's really on your mind?"

"It's… nothing."

Rayla shrugged. "Okay. If you don't wanna talk, can I?"

"Sure." Callum returned his attention to the view over the balcony.

"So, I ran into Claudia at the library just now."

"Wait, what?" He snapped his head at her again, now standing. "Rayla, did you talk to her? You talked to her, didn't you?"

"Did you expect me to magically turn mute after we look at each other?"

"But—but why?" Callum scrambled to find the right words. "I thought we agreed we're to stay away from her until the, you know!"

"_You _are supposed to stay away from her to maintain neutrality, royal advisor. I have nothing to do with it."

Callum grabbed the sides of his head and dropped his whole body onto the bed, making it creak. "Rayla, you're killing meeee," he whined.

Rayla rolled her eyes again. The man-boy was _so _dramatic even after all these years. "Look, we spent the best part of one hour in silence, surrounded by… books she made me read. She did not brainwash me into anything. Calm down."

Callum immediately sprung up again, then shoot her with interrogative questions, "What books? Do they involve brainwashing? Maybe mind-control? To be honest, the fact that she got you to read books must already involve some kind of hypnosis!"

"Callum." Rayla looked in awe. "God, what has she _done_ to you?"

"What?" Callum raised a brow, confused.

"She's turned you into this," she gestured to him up and down, and he looked a bit offended, "untrusting monster."

"Rayla, have you forgotten what she made me do to _you_?" Callum made it no secret what he was looking at; her broken horn.

"Ye, I know." Rayla put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "She's one of your oldest friends. You've liked her for the majority of your life. But she betrayed you and manipulated you again and again. You're traumatized."

"Okay, _traumatized_ is a powerful word."

"Oh, shush."

Callum sighed, then returned to sit on his bed again, now followed by Rayla who sat by his side. "It's just… she can be, you know, convincing. Persuasive?"

"_Manipulative_, my friend, is the word you seek."

"Why are you so against kinder vocabularies?" Callum glared and Rayla shrugged. "I don't know. I just don't have the confidence that I'll be able to stay neutral if I came in contact with her."

The elf softened. "Look at you, already rolling out of the neutral zone just from talking about her. Listen to me, you did nothing wrong, about this," she said, touching the tip of her shorter horn, "or about befalling justice upon her back then. If anything, I still believe this is the best we could've done for her. What else would you have done? Let her take more lives? Let her die?"

"I know." Callum nodded grimly. "I know, it's just… I wish I could've done more, I guess. Did you see the look on Soren's face?"

The former assassin groaned. "Oh, that guy is as subtle as a volcano eruption. How could I not?"

That's true. And that was the difference between the siblings that Callum had changed his opinion about in the last four years. While the young him had often found Soren's brashness offensive and Claudia's sweetness comforting, it all changed after they found the egg four summers ago, placing his two old friends on the opposing side of him. Soren's attacks were direct and, majority of the time, sportive. Claudia's attacks were…psychological and smart. He found himself believing her again and again despite multiple betrayals. It ruined him forever. He was scared that if he saw her again, he'd believe her again.

"Do you think I made the right choice by letting him take the job?"

Rayla sat on the bed and gave him the look he was familiar with. It was the look she gave Ezran when he insisted on helping people when they were in trouble themselves. Proud but mildly annoyed.

"Am I the royal advisor's _advisor _on top of being a Crown Guard?" she joked. "Because I might have to ask for a raise."

* * *

Dinner was uneventful. At first.

The cafeteria was unusually empty. Even with her deteriorating eyesight, she could still pick up the tension creeping around Soren's entire being. She found it increasingly easier to pretend she didn't notice things by using said deteriorating eyesight as an excuse. So she pretended she didn't notice the quietness and instead, she began reminiscing childhood events with him.

It worked well; as Soren's started to really get into it after two funny childhood stories about puke and setting furniture on fire. By the time she noticed, he's the one coming up with more funny stories.

"And then—" Soren couldn't help but choke on laughter and food. Claudia giggled and pushed his cup closer to him and he took it gratefully before continuing, "And then, do you remember that one time you swallowed a jar full of dad's glowtoad skin collection?"

"You dared me to!" Claudia was laughing, too. Her meal was finished, though.

He couldn't stop wheezing. "You were glowing for three days straight! I couldn't sleep at night because it's so bright!"

"Serves you right!" Claudia lightly punched his arm, of which he overreacted to. "Dad was so angry because those are rare ingredients, too! He hated me for that!"

"Not as much as he hated _me_ when he knew I was the one who dared you to."

They'd spent hours chattering away about the pranks they did as children. Their Father made appearance in a handful of the stories. Soren did a fairly good job bringing him up without getting tensed, but every time Claudia hinted that she was about to ask about him, Soren would profusely sweat. He would stutter. Claudia took it as a bad sign and quickly recovered by bringing up another prank. Then, her brother would be relieved again.

Claudia knew it was nighttime when light began growing scarce and temperature dropped. The siblings went quiet for a moment before Soren shoot up from his seat and took her hand. She already told him that she could still see enough to not fall down, but he still insisted to hold her hand and guide her whenever they had to walk anywhere. Claudia's made peace with the notion.

"Hold on, I get to sleep out of my cell?" she asked, unsure, when they arrived to Soren's room.

"Why not?" he sounded a bit offended.

Claudia frowned. Because she was a prisoner? Because she thought it was a one-day special treatment? Because everyone was clearly uncomfortable with having her around that they'd even skip dinner if it meant not being in the same room as her? There were so many reasons she could come up with over the top of her head but she went with, "I have no idea how to answer that."

"Okay." Her brother shrugged, opening the door to his room and tugging her in. "Time for bed, then."

"Wait!" She pulled back, staying firmly one step outside of his room. "Soren. I mean… I've done terrible, terrible things." She shrunk.

She could feel his gaze on her as he grew quiet. It was the first time any of them had brought up that peace-shattering reality after pretending it didn't exist the entire day. "Because of me," he stated matter-of-factly, squeezing her hand. She looked up at him, frowning. "It's funny, huh? The only times you make big, stupid mistakes are when I make you do them."

"Hey," she said softly but firmly, cupping his cheek to make him look at her. "It was _my_ decision. I could've chosen not to do it, but I did. It was a conscious decision on my part. You're in no way responsible for it. You didn't make me do it." Then she threw herself to him, locking him in a hug before she snuggled against his chest. Soren immediately returned the hug; powerfully, like he was scared of letting her go. But she decided she didn't notice that hidden message either. "You're walking around again; being a knight. That's all that matters." They were finally talking about it. It made her feel somewhat relieved. "And thank you." She smiled.

"For what?" he mumbled in her hair.

Claudia broke the hug to look him in the eye again. "For not hating me."

Soren chuckled in confusion, trying to search Claudia's pure black eyes. "Why would I hate you? You're my sister." _You're the reason I'm still here, _went unsaid.

_For forcing you to live on top of corpses, _went unsaid. Instead, Claudia smiled and stroked his hair lovingly like a mother would to her child. Beautiful, innocent child. "Nah, it's too hard for you to understand right now. Maybe one day."

"Am I being insulted right now?"

"Why would I ever?" Claudia chuckled and gave his hair a tousle then, after convincing herself that it was alright, marched into his room, then climbed on top of the bed, followed by Soren.

But before he could answer her, Soren tripped on a hairbrush and then dropped to the floor with a loud thud.

"Soren!" Claudia flew over from the bed to his side, but landed badly so she hit her forehead against the closet. She yelped out of shock and Soren burst out laughing. "I'm fine, thank you for asking," she hissed, then proceeded to pinch Soren's arm hard.

"Ouch! Dragon's dropping!" he cursed.

Claudia sighed in what sounded like relief before mumbling, "Good, you can still feel that."

"Huh?"

"Nothing!" Claudia squeaked. "Let's go to bed. Boy, it's the most exercise I've had in _years_. My body's sore. I need my sleep."

"Psh, lame."

"Oh, shut up." She punched his arm; so lightly he almost couldn't feel it.

He missed sleeping on the same bed as her. Although they'd always had their own bed for as long as he could remember (their family had always had more than enough), they'd slept in the same room when they were children. It caused a lot of bonding but also a lot of fighting for personal space. However, during the time when their parents' fights had started growing explosive, it provided them with solace.

They'd snuggle in one bed for the rest of the night, holding hands until they're asleep. Until they weren't scared anymore. Because they had each other no matter what.

"Can you hold my hand, Sor-Sor?" Claudia asked, facing him. She'd asked that question many times in their childhood as if his hand could magically make all bad things go away. It made him feel needed.

"Yeah, sure?" He took her hand in his.

Claudia whispered a, "Thanks."

She smiled, closing her eyes as relief washed over her. She didn't care what tomorrow had to offer, but for now, she was happy. She was actually happy after so long. Soren was with her; healthy and moving. They were together. It was enough.

A moment passed before Soren reluctantly whispered, "Claudia, listen, I… I have something important to tell you. I really don't know how to say it, but…"

Her eyes remained closed as she whispered back, "That's okay. You can tell me tomorrow, then. No rush."

Soren was quiet, thinking. "You're right. Yeah. Tomorrow, then."

"Mm-hmm. Good night, Soren."

"Night, Claudia."

The dream Soren saw that night was nothing short of a nightmare. It was a remastered version of what happened years ago, suddenly vivid again in his mind despite obvious exaggerations and inaccuracies. His sister was standing on top of corpses, humans and elves alike; holding half an elf horn preciously in her hand as she performed a spell of unspeakable horror. Her hair was turning rapidly white and her breathing cut short but it didn't stop her. By the end of it, she was left broken and irreparable in order to fix _him. _And what he did was point his sword at her and commanded his troop to arrest her. He could never forget the look of shock and betrayal swimming in her pure black eyes. Nor the smile on her face when he'd asked her why.

"You know why, brother," she said as she was brought away, "I would do _anything _for you."

He thought he'd moved on. He thought he'd be able to see all of this from his standpoint as a part of the kingdom. Yet apparently not a day had passed since he didn't regret betraying her instead of the kingdom. Callum's order, he'd told himself. But it was him who held the sword.

It was_ his_ decision to make.

* * *

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